WiMAX compliant communications systems are based on the series of IEEE 802.16 technical standards and are used to provide wireless broadband access service. Similarly, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced) series of technical standards also provide for wireless broadband access service. Specifically, the IEEE 802.16m and 3GPP TLE-Advanced technical standards are all International Mobile Telecommunications-Advanced (IMT-Advanced) candidate standards and their basic physical technologies are similar, for example, both support Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) operation. However, some detailed technologies are different, especially in channel structure and signaling.
Machine to Machine (M2M) communications is a service based on a wireless communications system. Currently, both IEEE 802.16 and 3GPP LTE/LTE-Advanced define their own M2M requirements and features lists. In IEEE 802.16, M2M communications is being specified in projects P802.16p and P802.16.1b with system requirements including: low power consumption, support for large numbers of communications devices, small burst transmission, and security support.
Many M2M devices are powered by a centralized power delivery system, such as a power grid that is used to provide power to consumers, and typically do not include a self-contained power system. As such, if the centralized power delivery system fails, e.g., there is a power outage, a large number of M2M devices may lose power and cannot maintain M2M communications. Normally, unless the power outage interrupts an on-going communications, a server serving the M2M devices, and consequently, a utility company that is providing the power to the M2M devices, may not know that power has been lost and potentially many M2M devices are without power.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for handling a power outage.